Mascot tail twirling apparatus

ABSTRACT

A hand-held twirling apparatus including a handle of sufficient size for gripping by a user and a tail-shaped object. A coupling member extends between the handle and the tail-shaped object. The coupling member enables the tail-shaped object to twirl about a longitudinal axis of the handle.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a Continuation application of co-pending U.S.Ser. No. 15/450,439, filed Mar. 6, 2017, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/445,322, filed Jan. 12, 2017, whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application generally relates to hand-held apparatus for use byspectators and, more particularly, to a hand-held mascot tail apparatusfor twirling by a spectator at a sporting event or other gathering.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Spectators at sporting events often express their reaction to theperformance of a player, a team, or an official at suitable times duringa game. Hand-held objects such as programs, towels, elongated balloons,or commercially-available foam hands are commonly seen being held aloftand waved by spectators at various times during a sporting event, andprovide a noticeable visual reaction to a specific incident. The“terrible towel”, a rally towel which is waved and rotated by fans ofthe Pittsburgh Steelers football team, is exemplary of this type of teamsupport. Rally towels have now become prominent at a great many sportingevents, and have migrated to other sports contests in addition tofootball.

One of the problems with rally towels is that it can be difficult for afan to initially get the towel to twirl and then to retain the towel ina twirling motion. Manually twirling a towel by using one's hand and armis a difficult maneuver to maintain without injury or tiring of the arm.Additionally, due to the type of spinning or twirling by the individualfan, the towel may fold or curl over on itself as the towel is only heldin one corner. Another drawback of rally towels is that the device islimited to use in support of a single team. The towel has a fixed colorand printed name and/or emblem corresponding to the particular team,necessitating that the fan purchase different rally towels for eachdifferent team that they support.

Many of today's sports teams have an animal, reptile, or other creatureor character possessing a tail, as a team mascot. These mascots includethe University of Kentucky wildcat, the Cincinnati Bengal tiger, and theUniversity of Florida gator. Images of these mascots evoke strongsupportive reactions from the team's fan base. Oftentimes, fans willdress for games in animal costumes or paint their faces or bodies tomimic their team's mascot.

The apparatus described herein eliminates the problems of a rally towelwhile invoking the strong fan sentiment felt for a team mascot. Inparticular, a hand-held cheering apparatus is provided having a handleand an attached mascot tail. The mascot tail is flexibly attached to thehandle to enable the tail to be twirled about using the handle. Anassembly is also provided including a handle and one or moreinterchangeable tails. The tails can be switched out and separatelyconnected to the handle to allow the handle to be used with multipledifferent mascot tails.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The apparatus described herein eliminates the problems of a rally towelwhile invoking the strong fan sentiment felt for a team mascot. Inparticular, the presently disclosed embodiments are generally directedto a hand-held twirling apparatus having a handle and a flexiblyattached tail-shaped object. The tail-shaped object is attached by aflexible coupling member to allow the tail-shaped object to be twirledrelative to the handle. Additionally, the disclosed embodiments includean assembly in which one or more elongated tail-shaped objects areinterchangeably attachable to a handle. Tails corresponding to differentteam mascots can be switched in and out of the handle to enable theapparatus to be used in cheering for many different teams.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be more readily understood from a detaileddescription of some example embodiments taken in conjunction with thefollowing figures:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary hand-held twirlingapparatus;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the handle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a hand-heldtwirling apparatus assembly; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary hand-held twirlingapparatus, showing the apparatus being twirled in a counter-clockwisedirection.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with a general description of the invention given above, andthe detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve toexplain the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will now bedescribed to provide an overall understanding of the principles of thestructure, function, and use of the apparatus disclosed herein. One ormore examples of these non-limiting embodiments are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Those of ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that the apparatus described herein and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings are non-limiting embodiments. The featuresillustrated or described in connection with one non-limiting embodimentmay be combined with the features of other non-limiting embodiments.Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within thescope of the present disclosure.

Turning now to the drawing figures, wherein like numbers indicate likefeatures through the views, FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus 10 fortwirling a tail-shaped object 12 using a handle 14. Tail-shaped object12 can have different shapes, patterns or colors to represent a numberof different mascots from a variety of different teams. These mascotsmay include, without limitation, mammals, reptiles, and birds, as wellas any other creature, cartoon character, or inanimate object having atail that can be represented in a three-dimensional format and attachedto a handle. In the example embodiments shown in the drawing figures,the tail-shaped object 12 has an elongated shape and is made of textile,cloth, or other material composed of woven or felted fibers which may bemade of wool, hair, silk, flax, cotton, or other types of natural orsynthetic fibers. In some embodiments, tail-shaped object 12 may becomposed of a plush material. The plush material can have a variety ofdifferent pile lengths to resemble different types of animal fur. Theparticular type of material for the tail-shaped object 12 may beselected in accordance with the identity of the mascot tail to berepresented. In some embodiments, tail-shaped object 12 may be stuffedwith a soft or resilient material which may comprise, for example,synthetic fiber batting, cotton, straw, wood wool, and/or plasticpellets.

The handle 14 is composed of a rigid material such as, for example,plastics, metals, wood, or similar materials. The handle 14 is ofsufficient size to allow for gripping with a hand. In the exemplaryembodiments shown in the drawing figures, the handle 14 has acylindrical shape with a longitudinal axis 16 and an opening 26 in oneend. The handle 14 may include exterior grooves 20, or another type ofsurface feature, to facilitate a secure, comfortable grip on the handle.Foam or another type of soft material coating may be applied to theexterior of the handle 14 to increase the comfort and security of thegrip. While handle 14 is depicted having a cylindrical shape, it isenvisioned that the handle can have any number of other configurationswhich allow a user to grip and manipulate the handle in a circularmotion.

A coupling member 22 extends from a proximal end of the tail-shapedobject 12 for tethering the tail-shaped object to the handle 14.Coupling member 22 is comprised of a flexible material, such as, forexample, string, braided fiber, or elastic cord, as well as any othermaterial having sufficient strength and flexibility to support thetail-shaped object 12 and prevent the object from separating from thehandle 14 as it is swung in a circular or twirling motion. In someembodiments, coupling member 22 may be a spring made from a metal,plastic or other material. The opposite end of coupling member 22 isaffixed to a cap 24. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the coupling member22 extends through an opening in cap 24 and is retained on the proximalside of the cap by a locking nut 32. In a first exemplary embodiment, inwhich the apparatus 10 utilizes a single, tail-shaped object, cap 24 maybe glued or otherwise fixedly attached to handle 14.

In an alternative exemplary embodiment, shown in FIG. 3, cap 24 includesa plug end 30 to enable a tail-shaped object 12 to be releasablyattached to the handle 14. As shown in FIG. 2, handle 14 includes anopening 26 at one end for receipt of plug end 30. The interior of handleopening 26 may be shaped or coated to form a friction or force fit ofthe plug end 30 within the opening. Alternatively, the exterior of plugend 30 and the interior of handle opening 26 may have mating screwthreads to enable cap 24 to be screwed into the handle opening, toattach the tail-shaped object 12 to the handle 14. Alternatively, plugend 30 may be comprised of a pliable or deformable material having aribbed structure, as shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, when cap 24 isinserted into handle opening 26, plug end 30 will initially deform underthe insertion pressure. Once inside the handle opening 26, plug end 30will expand into contact with the sides of the opening, to produce apress fit and thereby lock the plug within the opening. To release thetail-shaped object 12 from handle 14, the plug end 30 may be pulled orunscrewed from the handle opening 26.

As shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus 10 described herein may be part of anassembly 40 of multiple tail-shaped objects 12 interchangeable with asingle handle 14. In a multiple tail assembly 40, each of thetail-shaped objects, identified as 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c in FIG. 3,includes a cap 24 attached by a coupling member or tether 22 to a baseend of the object. The different tail-shaped objects 12 a, 12 b and 12 cmay be swapped out of the handle 14 by removing the cap 24 of a firsttail-shaped object from the handle opening 26, and inserting the cap ofa second tail-shaped object into the handle opening. While FIG. 3 showsthree different tail-shaped objects 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c in the assembly40, any number of different tail-shaped objects may be included withinan assembly, and interchangeably attached to the handle 14, therebyenabling the tail-shaped objects to be collected individually and addedto the assembly at different times.

To twirl apparatus 10, a user manually grips handle 14. Initially, thetail-shaped object 12 is in a downward position, with flexible couplingmember 22 drawn down over the side of handle 14 by the weight of theobject. With a hand gripping handle 14, the user begins to rotate thehandle 14, using a circular hand motion. The handle 14 can be rotatedeither clockwise as indicated by arrow 42, or counterclockwise, asindicated by arrow 44. As the handle 14 rotates, the coupling member 22exerts an inward centripetal force on the tail-shaped object 12, drawingthe object into an upward, outwardly directed position, as shown in FIG.4. As the rotation force increases on handle 14, the object rotates in acircle having a radius equal to the length of the coupling member 22 andthe tail-shaped object 12. Continued rotation of the handle 14 producesa twirling movement of the tail-shaped object 12 in a circular pattern,as indicated by the arrows 50. FIG. 4 depicts the twirling action of thetail-shaped object when handle 14 is rotated in a counterclockwisedirection. However, rotating the hand in the opposite direction willproduce a similar twirling pattern for the tail-shaped object 12, but inthe opposite direction.

While various embodiments have been described herein, it should beapparent that various modifications, alterations, and adaptations tothose embodiments may occur to persons skilled in the art withattainment of at least some of the advantages. The disclosed embodimentsare therefore intended to include all such modifications, alterations,and adaptations without departing from the scope of the embodiments asset forth herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hand-held twirling apparatus, comprising: ahandle having a proximal end and a distal end, and being configured toprovide a sufficient size for gripping by a user; a stuffed object; anda coupling member comprising a flexible tether and having one endconnected to the stuffed object and an opposite free end, the couplingmember being configured to extend between the handle and the stuffedobject, wherein the coupling member is attached to the proximal end ofthe handle facing the stuffed object via a pliable or deformablematerial comprising at least one radially outwardly extendingprotrusion, and wherein the pliable or deformable material is press fitinto the proximal end of the handle so as to secure the tail-shapedobject to the handle with the free end of the coupling member beinglocated within the handle and with the at least one radially extendingprotrusion having a portion which extends in a direction away from thedistal end of the handle.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thestuffed object is constructed of a plush material that resembles fur. 3.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stuffed object has an elongatedshape.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tether enables thestuffed object to twirl about a longitudinal axis of the handle.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the stuffed object is composed of clothstuffed with a resilient material.
 6. A hand-held twirling assembly,comprising: a handle having a proximal end and a distal end; two or morestuffed objects; and a respective flexible coupling member having oneend connected to a respective one of the two or more stuffed objects andan opposite free end, wherein each respective coupling member isalternatively attached to the proximal end of the handle that faces therespective one of the stuffed objects via a pliable or deformablematerial comprising at least one radially extending protrusion, andwherein the pliable or deformable material is press fit into theproximal end of the handle so as to secure the respective stuffed objectto the handle with the free end of the respective coupling member beinglocated within the handle and with the at least one radially extendingprotrusion of the respective coupling member having a portion whichextends in a direction away from the distal end of the handle.
 7. Theassembly of claim 6, wherein the stuffed objects are constructed of aplush material.
 8. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the stuffed objectsare constructed of cloth stuffed with a soft material.
 9. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the coupling member initially deforms and thenexpands in the proximal end of the handle.
 10. The assembly of claim 6,wherein each respective coupling member initially deforms and thenexpands in the proximal end of the handle.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the stuffed object is a stuffed tail-shaped object.
 12. Theassembly of claim 6, wherein the two or more stuffed objects are two ormore stuffed tails.